JD McPherson has unveiled the music video for "Lucky Penny," the very first taste of his upcoming album, Undivided Heart & Soul.
The 11-song set was produced by McPherson and Dan Molad (Lucius, Tweedy) and recorded at Nashville's historic RCA Studio B—home of the Everly Brothers, Chet Atkins and countless other Music City legends. That's also where the George Salisbury-directed clip below was shot.
However, a great deal of the thought behind the heavy new disc struck McPherson during his time in the California desert, where he jammed with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. A touch of that experience comes through in "Lucky Penny," a extra-greasy mid-tempo rocker about gambling—"I keep rolling where the bad wind blows / I keep running, but the trouble follows."
Despite his new influences and friends, McPherson maintains his "retro rocker" sound and charm—even tearing it up on a custom TK Smith guitar in the clip.
“JD wanted a Smith Special with a Bo Diddley body instead of the double cutaway,” Smith told us last year. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it because I thought it’d be funky, but it came out really cool.” No argument there.
According to press materials, Undivided Heart & Soul chronicles "a series of upheavals, frustrations, roadblocks and kismet—a cross-country move, failed creative relationships, a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity—and learning to love making music again by letting go." It's got us interested; stay tuned for more.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
